Apparatus and method for preventing dew formation in refrigerator

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure provides an apparatus and method for preventing dew formation in a refrigerator, capable of a simple structure and of more effectively preventing dew formation in the front of a main body by installing a hot pipe in the edge areas of the front of the refrigerator, where the main body comes in contact with a door. A refrigerant in the hot pipe for removing dew on a surface of the refrigerator discharges heat from inside the hot pipe, and first moves to the boundary area between a cold storage space and a freezer in the edge areas.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is based on and claims priority from Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2013-0161063, filed on Dec. 23, 2013, the disclosureof which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the prevention of dew formation in oron a refrigerator, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method forpreventing dew formation in or on a refrigerator that have a relativelysimple structure and are capable of effectively preventing dew formationin the front of a refrigerator main body using a pipe or tube (e.g., a“hot pipe”) in or around the front edge or peripheral areas of therefrigerator and freezer compartments of the refrigerator, that is, apart where the main body comes in contact with a door, where the hotpipe removes dew on a surface of the refrigerator by discharging heat(e.g., from the inside of the hot pipe) by first circulating relativelyhigh-temperature refrigerant to the boundary area of a cold storagespace (e.g., refrigerator compartment) and a freezer and/or the edgeareas.

BACKGROUND

In general, a refrigerator includes a main body configured to have oneor more cold storage rooms or spaces open toward a front thereof and adoor hinged to the front of the main body in such a way as to open orclose the cold storage spaces. The main body and the door make up anexternal appearance of the refrigerator, and the cold storage spaces isrefrigerated through a refrigeration and/or freezing cycle.

In general, the temperature in an indoor space where such a refrigeratoris installed is a normal temperature or higher (e.g., ≧23° C.), and theinside of the cold storage spaces refrigerated by cool air is generallyjust above 0° C. or below 0° C. Accordingly, there is a temperaturedifference of tens of degrees between the cold storage spaces of themain body and the outside of the main body. For this reason, there is aproblem in that when the door is opened and closed, dew may form on orin the front of the main body, corresponding to the boundary between theinside and outside of the main body, due to a dew condensationphenomenon attributable to a temperature difference between air outsidethe main body and cool air inside the cold storage spaces, and thehumidity in the air outside the main body.

In order to solve the problem, in the conventional refrigerator, a dewcondensation phenomenon occurring in the front of the main body may beprevented using heat from a refrigerant pipe that carries ahigh-pressure refrigerant in a refrigeration cycle.

For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a hot pipe 104 through which arefrigerant moves is configured to flow from a condenser 102 and beinstalled in a part where a main body 100 comes in contact with a doorin the front of the refrigerator so that dew formed in the part wherethe main body 100 comes in contact with the door is removed by theradiation of heat from the refrigerant in the hot pipe 104.

An operation is described in more detail below. A refrigerant ofhigh-temperature and high-pressure that has been pressurized in acompressor 106 is changed into a refrigerant of normal-temperature andhigh-pressure (e.g., a liquid state) after being subject to a heatexchange in the condenser 102. Next, the refrigerant moves through thehot pipe 104 configured to branch from the condenser 102, thustransferring the heat of the refrigerant to the front of therefrigerator through the hot pipe 104. As a result, dew formed in thepart where the main body 100 comes in contact with the door isevaporated.

That is, in the conventional refrigerator, a refrigerant pipe configuredto connect the compressor 106 and the condenser 102 in order to carry ahigh-temperature refrigerant, compressed by the compressor 106 of arefrigeration cycle, toward the condenser 102 is disposed to passthrough the inside of the door of the refrigerator or the inside of thefront of the main body 100. Accordingly, dew formed in the front of themain body 100 is evaporated by the heat of the refrigerant pipe.

As shown in FIG. 1, however, a refrigerant that moves in the front ofthe main body 100 through the hot pipe 104 first moves toward theoutside of the door of a freezer in the front of the refrigerator.Accordingly, there is a problem in that an effect of removing dew formedin the boundary area 108 is relatively low because the temperature ofthe refrigerant is lower than the temperature first generated due to theradiation of heat from the refrigerant prior to it entering the boundaryarea 108 of the cold storage space and the freezer in which the mostsevere dew condensation phenomenon is generated, the part where the mainbody 100 comes in contact with the door that is away from a hinge.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides an apparatus and method for preventingdew formation in a refrigerator, which are capable of a simple structureand of more effectively preventing dew formation in or on the front of amain body by installing a hot pipe in the edge areas of the front of therefrigerator, that is, a part where the main body comes in contact witha door, and disposing the hot pipe so that a refrigerant capable ofremoving dew on a surface of the refrigerator by discharging heat fromthe inside of the hot pipe first moves to the boundary area of a coldstorage space and a freezer in the edge areas.

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatus forpreventing dew formation in a refrigerator, including a compressorconfigured to change a refrigerant into a high-temperature andhigh-pressure state, a condenser configured to change thehigh-temperature and high-pressure state of the refrigerant into amiddle-temperature and high-pressure state, a hot pipe connected to afirst end of the condenser, inside a main body of the refrigerator inedge areas of a freezer and a cold storage space in a front of the mainbody, and configured to have the refrigerant first move to a boundarybetween the freezer and the cold storage space in the edge areas, acapillary tube configured to adiabatically expand the refrigerant andchange the state of the refrigerant into a low-temperature andlow-pressure state, and a cooler configured to evaporate theadiabatically expanded refrigerant through a heat exchange with air thatcirculates within the refrigerator and provide the evaporatedrefrigerant to the compressor. The apparatus may further comprise adrier connected to a second end of the hot pipe and configured to filterimpurities in the refrigerant discharged through the hot pipe.

Further, the hot pipe may comprise a plurality of paths, configured tomove the refrigerant to the edge area of the cold storage space and theedge area of the freezer in the boundary. The plurality of paths maycomprise two parallel paths.

Further, the hot pipe may comprise a joint combining the plurality ofpaths into one path at or near a location where the hot pipe isconnected to the drier, capillary tube, or cooler.

Further, the hot pipe may comprise a second joint (e.g., a Y-shapedconnection pipe) at or near a location where the hot pipe is connectedto the condenser, configured to separate the refrigerant from thecondenser into two paths.

Further, the first joint may comprise a Y-shaped connection pipe at ornear the location where the hot pipe is connected to the drier (or thecapillary tube or cooler), configured to unite the two paths into onepath.

Further, the hot pipe may have a predetermined diameter, and the hotpipe may have a first end connected to the condenser and a second endconnected to the drier, capillary tube, or cooler.

Further, the condenser may change (properties of) the refrigerant to apredetermined middle temperature range and high-pressure, thusdischarging heat through the hot pipe while moving within the hot pipe.

Other exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a methodfor preventing dew formation in a refrigerator, including installing ahot pipe in edge areas of a freezer and a cold storage space in a frontof a main body of the refrigerator (e.g., in a boundary between a coldstorage space and a freezer), introducing a refrigerant of amiddle-temperature and high-pressure state having a predeterminedtemperature range (e.g., from a condenser of the refrigerator) to thehot pipe, moving the refrigerant to a boundary between the freezer andthe cold storage space in the edge areas through the hot pipe, andmoving the refrigerant the boundary to remaining edge areas.

The method may further include filtering impurities from the refrigerantin the hot pipe after moving the refrigerant through the boundary andremaining edge areas, adiabatically expanding the refrigerant (e.g.,from which the impurities have been filtered) into a low-temperature andlow-pressure state, evaporating the adiabatically expanded refrigerantthrough a heat exchange with air that circulates within therefrigerator, and changing the low-temperature and low-pressure state ofthe refrigerant into a high-temperature and high-pressure state using acompressor of the refrigerator after the heat exchange.

Moving the refrigerant to the boundary may further include separatingthe refrigerant into a plurality of paths at or near a location wherethe hot pipe is connected to a condenser, then moving the refrigerant tothe boundary.

Further, the refrigerant may be separated into two paths through aY-shaped connection pipe at or near the location where the hot pipe isconnected to a condenser.

Further, the refrigerants separated into the two paths may be unitedinto one path through a Y-shaped connection pipe installed at or near alocation where the hot pipe is connected to a drier, capillary tube orcooler of the refrigerator (e.g., for filtering impurities from therefrigerant).

Further, the hot pipe may have a predetermined diameter, and the hotpipe may have a first end connected to the condenser and a second endconnected to a drier, capillary tube or cooler of the refrigerator(e.g., for filtering impurities from the refrigerant).

Further, the state of the refrigerant may change into a predeterminedmiddle temperature range and high-pressure by the condenser, thusdischarging heat through the hot pipe while moving within the hot pipe.

In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the hot pipe is inthe edge areas of the front of the refrigerator, that is, a part wherethe main body comes in contact with the door, and the hot pipe removesdew on a surface of the refrigerator by discharging heat from the hotpipe in the boundary area between the cold storage space and the freezer(e.g., in the edge areas between the cold storage space and thefreezer). Accordingly, a structure for installing the hot pipe can besimplified. Furthermore, dew formation in the front of the main body canbe prevented more effectively because dew removal efficiency in theboundary area of the cold storage space and the freezer, where the mostsevere dew condensation occurs, is improved by such an arrangement ofthe hot pipe.

The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be inany way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments,and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and featureswill become apparent by reference to the drawings and the followingdetailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram showing a structure for preventing dewformation in a conventional refrigerator.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram showing a structure for preventing dewformation in a refrigerator in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of a Y-shaped connection pipe inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part hereof The illustrativeembodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, and claimsare not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, andother changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope ofthe subject matter presented here.

One or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will bedescribed more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which one or more exemplary embodiments of the disclosurecan be easily determined by those skilled in the art. As those skilledin the art will realize, the described exemplary embodiments may bemodified in various different ways, all without departing from thespirit or scope of the present disclosure, which is not limited to theexemplary embodiments described herein.

It is noted that the drawings are schematic and are not necessarilydimensionally illustrated. Relative sizes and proportions of parts inthe drawings may be exaggerated or reduced in their sizes, and apredetermined size is just exemplary and not limiting. The samereference numerals designate the same structures, elements, or partsillustrated in two or more drawings in order to exhibit the same orsimilar characteristics.

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure illustrate idealembodiments of the present disclosure in more detail. As a result,various modifications of the drawings are expected. Accordingly, theexemplary embodiments are not limited to a specific form of theillustrated region, and for example, include modifications of form(e.g., by manufacturing).

FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram showing the structure of a refrigeratorincluding an apparatus for preventing dew formation in accordance withan embodiment of the present disclosure. The apparatus for preventingdew formation in a refrigerator according to the present disclosure mayinclude a hot pipe 202 installed in the front of the refrigerator, acompressor 204, a condenser 206, and so on.

First, the operations of the elements of the apparatus for preventingdew formation according to the present disclosure are described indetail below with reference to FIG. 2.

The hot pipe 202 may be installed in a closed loop form in associationwith one or more elements that form a refrigeration cycle, and be routedin the edge areas of the front of the main body 200.

That is, for example, one end of the hot pipe 202 may be connected tothe condenser 206, that is, one of the elements that form therefrigeration cycle. In the hot pipe 202 connected to the condenser 206,a refrigerant having a phase changed into a middle-temperature andhigh-pressure state can be introduced from the condenser 206.

The middle-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant introduced asdescribed above moves in the edge areas of the front of the main body200 through the hot pipe 202 and discharges heat, thus evaporating dewfrom a location where the main body 200 comes in contact with theopening edge of a door.

For example, the other end of the hot pipe 202 may be connected to adrier 214, that is, one of the elements that may form the refrigerationcycle. A refrigerant discharged from the hot pipe 202 is filtered by thedrier 214 and then subject to adiabatic expansion into a low-temperatureand low-pressure state through a capillary tube 216. However, the drieris not an essential component of the refrigeration cycle, and can beomitted. Next, the refrigerant is evaporated through a heat exchangewith air that circulates the inside of the refrigerator while passingthrough a cooler 218, and then the refrigerant enters into thecompressor 204.

The compressor 204 changes the state of the refrigerant into thelow-temperature and low-pressure state in the drier 214, the capillarytube 216, and the cooler 218 after being discharged from the hot pipe202, then into a high-temperature and high-pressure state by applyingpressure to the refrigerant.

The condenser 206 is connected to one end of the hot pipe 202 andconfigured to change the refrigerant, having the high-temperature andhigh-pressure state from the compressor 204, into a middle-temperatureand high-pressure state. The refrigerant having the middle-temperatureand high-pressure state from the condenser 206 as described above entersone side of the hot pipe 202 connected to the condenser 206 again andmoves through the hot pipe 202 installed in the edge areas of the frontof the main body 200, thus removing dew by the radiation of heat.

The structure and operation of the apparatus for preventing dewformation in a refrigerator according to the present disclosure aredescribed in more detail below.

First, in the apparatus for preventing dew formation in accordance withan embodiment of the present disclosure, a refrigerant moves through thehot pipe 202 installed in the front of the main body 200 and thusevaporates and removes dew that forms due to a temperature differencebetween the inside and outside of the refrigerator in the part where themain body 200 comes in contact with the door through the radiation ofheat of the refrigerant. That is, evaporation and condensation areperformed on the refrigerant that is introduced into or discharged fromthe hot pipe 202 using the elements forming the refrigeration cycle ofthe refrigerator, such as the compressor 204 and the condenser 206. Insuch a process, dew in or on the part where the main body 200 comes incontact with the door (e.g., the opening edge of the door) is removed bythe refrigerant that emits heat while moving through the hot pipe 202.

Here, the hot pipe 202 may be configured to branch from the condenser206 to a boundary area 208 such that the refrigerant first moves theboundary between a cold storage space and a freezer in the edge areas ofthe front of the refrigerator where the main body 200 comes in contactwith the opening edges of the doors. Accordingly, refrigerant introducedfrom the condenser 206 first moves to the boundary 208, thereby beingcapable of evaporating dew in or on the boundary 208. As a result, dewoccurring in or on the boundary 208 having the most severe dewcondensation phenomenon can be effectively removed.

As shown in FIG. 3, for example, a Y-shaped connection pipe 220 isinstalled at or near a location A of the hot pipe 202 where the hot pipe202 is connected to a pipe extending from the condenser 206 so that therefrigerant introduced from the condenser 206 is separated into twopaths. Accordingly, the refrigerant first moves to the boundary 208 andthen to a second area 210, that is, the edge area of the cold storagespace, and a third area 212, that is, the edge area of the freezer, inparallel. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the hot pipe 202has been illustrated as being separated into the two paths through theY-shaped connection pipe 220, but this is only illustrative. Forexample, the hot pipe 202 may be separated into a plurality of paths.

Furthermore, the two paths bisected from the hot pipe 202 through theY-shaped connection pipe 220 as described above are united into one paththrough a Y-shaped connection pipe 222 at or near a location where thehot pipe is connected to the drier 214 (or cooler 218).

As described above, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the hotpipe is installed in the edge areas of the front of the refrigerator,that is, the part where the main body comes in contact with the openingedges of the doors, and the hot pipe is disposed so that a refrigerantfor removing dew on a surface of the refrigerator by discharging heatfrom the inside of the hot pipe first moves to the boundary area betweenthe cold storage space and the freezer in the edge areas. Accordingly, astructure for installing the hot pipe can be simplified. Furthermore, adew formation phenomenon in the front of the main body can be preventedmore effectively because dew removal efficiency in the boundary areabetween the cold storage space and the freezer in which the most severedew condensation occurs is improved by such an arrangement of the hotpipe.

Although exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are describedabove with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in theart will understand that the present disclosure may be implemented invarious ways without changing the necessary features or the spirit ofthe present disclosure.

Therefore, it should be understood that the exemplary embodimentsdescribed above are not limiting, but only an example in all respects.The scope of the present disclosure is expressed by claims below, notthe detailed description, and it should be construed that all changesand modifications achieved from the meanings and scope of claims andequivalent concepts are included in the scope of the present disclosure.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that various embodiments ofthe present disclosure have been described herein for purposes ofillustration, and that various modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Theexemplary embodiments disclosed in the specification of the presentdisclosure do not limit the present disclosure. The scope of the presentdisclosure will be interpreted by the claims below, and it will beconstrued that all techniques within the scope equivalent thereto belongto the scope of the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for preventing dew formation in arefrigerator, comprising: a compressor configured to change a state of arefrigerant to a high-temperature and high-pressure state; a condenserconfigured to change the state of the refrigerant to amiddle-temperature and high-pressure state; a pipe connected to a firstend of the condenser, in a front area of a main body of the refrigeratorand in edge or peripheral areas of or around a freezer and a coldstorage space, and configured to move or circulate the refrigerant firstto a boundary between the freezer and the cold storage space in the edgeareas; a capillary tube configured to adiabatically expand therefrigerant and change the state of the refrigerant to a low-temperatureand low-pressure state; and a cooler configured to evaporate theadiabatically expanded refrigerant through a heat exchange with air thatcirculates within the refrigerator and provide the evaporatedrefrigerant to the compressor.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein thehot pipe comprises a plurality of paths that move the refrigerant to theedge area of the cold storage space and the edge area of the freezer inthe boundary.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the plurality ofpaths are combined into one path at or near a location where the hotpipe is connected to the drier, capillary tube or cooler.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 2, further comprising a Y-shaped connection pipe ator near a location where the hot pipe is connected to the condenser,configured to separate the refrigerant from the condenser into twopaths.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a second Y-shapedconnection pipe at or near the location where the hot pipe is connectedto the drier, capillary tube or cooler, configured to unite the twopaths into one path.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the hot pipehas a predetermined diameter, and the hot pipe has a first end connectedto the condenser and a second end connected to the drier, capillary tubeor cooler.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the refrigerant has apredetermined middle temperature range and high-pressure from thecondenser, and the hot pipe discharges heat while the refrigerant moveswithin the hot pipe.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising adrier connected to a second end of the hot pipe and configured to filterimpurities in the refrigerant from the hot pipe.
 9. A method forpreventing dew formation in a refrigerator, comprising: installing a hotpipe in edge areas of a freezer and a cold storage space in a front of amain body of the refrigerator; introducing a refrigerant having amiddle-temperature and high-pressure state from a condenser of therefrigerator to the hot pipe; moving the refrigerant to a boundarybetween the freezer and the cold storage space in the edge areas throughthe hot pipe; and moving the refrigerant from the boundary to remainingedge areas.
 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: filteringimpurities from the refrigerant from the hot pipe after moving therefrigerant through the boundary and the remaining edge areas;adiabatically expanding the refrigerant from which the impurities havebeen filtered into a low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant;evaporating the adiabatically expanded refrigerant through a heatexchange with air that circulates within the refrigerator; and changingthe evaporated refrigerant into a high-temperature and high-pressurerefrigerant using a compressor of the refrigerator after the heatexchange.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein moving the refrigerant tothe boundary comprises separating the refrigerant into a plurality ofpaths at or near a location where the hot pipe is connected to thecondenser.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the refrigerant isseparated into two paths through a Y-shaped connection pipe at or near alocation where the hot pipe is connected to the condenser.
 13. Themethod of claim 12, further comprising combining the refrigerantseparated into the two paths using a second Y-shaped connection pipe ator near a location where the hot pipe is connected to a drier, capillarytube or cooler of the refrigerator.
 14. The method of claim 9, wherein:the hot pipe has a predetermined diameter, and the hot pipe has a firstend connected to the condenser and a second end connected to the drier,capillary tube or cooler of the refrigerator.
 15. The method of claim 9,further comprising changing the state of the refrigerant into apredetermined middle temperature range and high-pressure using thecondenser
 16. The method of claim 15, comprising discharging heatthrough the hot pipe while the refrigerant having the predeterminedmiddle temperature range and high-pressure moves within the hot pipe.17. The method of claim 9, wherein the middle-temperature is in apredetermined temperature range.